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Jeffrey Goldberg

If Obama’s eager to talk to the Muslim world, he should give a speech on free speech

Blasphemy, we have come to learn, is taken quite seriously by Muslims. Free speech, however, is taken quite seriously by Americans. It would have been bracing for the president to go on Pakistani television, and to sit for interviews with Egyptian and Tunisian journalists, and stand up for a core American principle. Imagine a speech in which Obama described the mechanics of free speech and the undergirding philosophy that protects it. He could have spoken about the great gifts free speech bestows on a society. He could have spoken about how he himself is attacked mercilessly by a free press, yet he still values the principles that allow him to be attacked. He could have described how Christianity is often the target of attack, yet survives and thrives in the U.S.

This wouldn’t have been an easy message to deliver. As Hussein Ibish of the American Task Force on Palestine told me, many of these protesters simply can’t fathom the existence of a political system in which the government has no control over the news media, or over what gets posted on the Internet.

Would it work? It wouldn’t change the minds of Salafists, and al-Qaeda would continue to seek to kill Americans, whether or not some among us continue making idiotic anti-Muhammad videos. But a bold, uncompromising and guilt-free defense of free speech might have given comfort to the many Muslims, religious and secular alike, who want to lead their lives free of the fear of fundamentalist tyranny, and who would prefer the U.S. not attempt to reason with the mob.

Blowback

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That would be assuming that Obama is truly a fan of free speech. I’m thinking he’s not.

Bitter Clinger on September 26, 2012 at 11:00 AM

I’ve never heard Obama talk about how Americans love and cherish our First Amendment. The Bill of Rights lists stuff that the government can’t do. That’s just against Obama’s philosophy. As Justice Ginsburg pointed out, constitutions such as South Africa’s recent one (which she says she prefers as a modern model, not ours), guarantees governmental services such as free health care. THAT’S more to Obama’s liking. He’s much prefer guaranteed governmental services to individual rights. That’s why Obama is so lukewarm about our Constitution. You know, the one he swore to “preserve, protect and defend”. He didn’t swear that he had to like it.

But only “blasphemy” as defined by Muslims. How convenient (for them). Anti-Islamic or anti-Mohammad blasphemy is forbidden. Anti-Christian (and anti-Semitic) blasphemy is perfectly acceptable.

Muslims teach their children, and routinely state in all manner of public and private forums, that Jesus Christ was a mere prophet, that he was not divine, and that he did not rise from the dead. As a Christian, I consider that a blasphemy against Christ and against Christianity. But I must have missed the part of Obama’s U.N. speech in which he said that the future must not belong to those who slander Jesus Christ and Christianity.

But a bold, uncompromising and guilt-free defense of free speech might have given comfort to the many Muslims, religious and secular alike, who want to lead their lives free of the fear of fundamentalist tyranny, and who would prefer the U.S. not attempt to reason with the mob.

Yeah, except for the niggling little problem that “secular Muslims” are not in control of much that matters these days (perhaps with the exception of portions of Indonesia’s government). And convincing them of anything, however likely or not in the current environment, would affect exactly what that matters to us?

Anyone interested in the free speech issue should watch Achmadinajhad unwind at the UN today. After he is done there will be no question just how far free speech can go. This guy will singlehandedly undermine ANY claim the Muslims have regarding insults to their religion.
The US has already said they will not attend.